Chris Crites challenges the art of portraiture. Using paper bags, his favorite canvas, Crites creates modern-day portraits. Each portrait telling a story, the viewer can not help but wonder “Is he a murderer? a sociopath?”

Years ago, Crites came across a book containing Los Angeles mugshots from the 1940s. Little or no information on the criminals accompanied the photographs. Crites became increasingly inquisitive, “I couldn’t stop wondering what the real story was,” he explains. He has been obsessed with mugshots ever since, choosing his “subject” while researching archives. Crites then draws a loose sketch and decides which medium he will use. After words he adjusts the original photograph on Photoshop, increasing contrasts for higher definition. Using one of the smallest brushed you can find Crites paints his pieces color by color, square by square.

“I don’t do any overpainting or any underpainting, so each color goes down by itself.” His meticulous attention to detailing is quite spectacular.

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